Stone pushes Louisburg past Anderson County

By Andy Brown, andybrown@miconews.com

Louisburg pitcher Trisha Stone winds back for a pitch on Monday in Paola. Stone and the Wildcats beat Anderson County on Thursday. (Gene Morris / gmorris@miconews.com)

The Louisburg softball team ended its regular season on a good note and made sure to head into regionals with a win.

The Wildcats, who hosted Anderson County in a one-game make-up from earlier in the season, seemed to have everything working for themselves in the 7-1 victory. They had great pitching, great hitting and good defense, something the Wildcats haven’t been able to say much this season.

It all started with Louisburg pitcher Trisha Stone.

The Wildcat junior pitched a complete game two-hitter and struck out nine of the 25 batters she faced. Add to that, her offense pounded out seven runs on nine hits, and it all equaled a blowout win for Louisburg.

“The girls played great (Thursday),” Louisburg coach Rhonda Tyson said. “We were hitting and fielding the ball well. Trisha Stone had a great night on the mound. We were focused and we played well together.”

Candice Wood got the Wildcat bats going with a team-high three hits and 2 RBIs. Wood was the only Wildcat to have multiple hits, but six other Wildcats contributed with hits of their own.

Stone helped out her cause with a two-run double, and she also scored two runs. Corrine Johnson, Chalice Schmollinger and Bekka Campbell each added an RBI, while Devin Weers, Erin Gerken, Stevie Van Horn, Johnson and Lindsey Parr all scored runs.

Louisburg took a 2-1 lead after two innings and added another run in the third, before exploding in the fourth. The Wildcats scored four runs in the fourth to all but seal the win.

The game was supposed to be played in Garnett, but was moved to Louisburg because Anderson County’s fields were not playable.